Have to admit that it's tough for the bowlers: Raina

After skipper MS Dhoni came to the defence of Ishant Sharma, whose place in the side came under heavy criticism after he conceded 30 runs in his 8th over in the last ODI in Mohali to hand Australia a stunning victory, teammate Suresh Raina also came in support of the tall Delhi pacer saying he has worked hard after that game and hoped that he would do well in the coming days. "I hope Ishant would be strong in his mindset and would approach the match in a positive manner. He has really worked hard in the last two days," Raina told reporters ahead of the Ranchi ODI.

The Indian bowlers have conceded in excess of 300 runs in all the three ODIs of the series so far and even the skipper expressed his concerns at the post-match presentation after the Mohali ODI saying, "The concerning thing is that it is getting worse."

Asked how the bowlers were preparing for the 4th ODI, Raina said, "Our bowlers are doing well. Our think tank is strong and have a good planning. Bowlers are training hard for the last two days. The harder they work the better they would perform. Hopefully we will do really well against the Aussies tomorrow," he said.

The left-handed batsman was quick to add that the new rule changes in the 50-over format are hampering the bowlers. "We are not getting the ball to reverse, while spinners are also not getting much turn as with two balls, the ball hardly gets old. But we have no excuse. We have to do well under the circumstances. We have to admit that it's tough for the bowlers. When five players are inside (the circle), it's obviously going to be difficult for the part-timers as your regular bowlers are not doing well. Bowlers come under pressure as to what line and length they would have to try when five players are inside. You're allowed to bowl two bouncers but then you have to bowl four more balls after that," explained Raina.

However, Raina admitted that the change in rule cannot be an excuse and called for some improvement. "No complains, as we have to play under the ICC Playing Conditions. Players will have to do their job."

The 27-year-old remained positive that India can bounce back in the 7-match series despite trailing 1-2 and stressed that the team could take some inspiration from their last appearance in Ranchi during which they beat England by 7-wickets. "It's been a good contest so far. Our batting is clicking. The team who plays well on that given day would win. It's about your aura in the field and the mental toughness. We have done well against England in the last match here. Definitely we would try to do well here. Just hope that it will be our day tomorrow," he said.

Raina has been promoted up the order to No. 4, a move which Dhoni explained was to build a back-up for Yuvraj Singh for the 2015 World Cup. The ploy has not worked so far in the series and critics are calling for Yuvraj to be back in his original slot. Pressed on what he feels about batting at No. 4, Raina said, "I've played many matches at No. 4 and No. 6. I had a top edge in the last match but I'm batting well and feeling fine and positive. The No. 4 spot belongs to me in the upcoming matches and I hope I will do well. We can't say what would happen after two days or weeks. Our main focus now is to beat Australia. It's a long way to go (on World Cup plans). Wednesday's match is more important and we are getting ready for it. It's about taking one match at a time."

The Uttar Pradesh cricketer opined that he has improved his game by seeing the likes of Dhoni and Yuvraj. He also added that the Helicopter shot is an exclusive of the Indian skipper. "He has been batting well over the years. I've learnt a lot from him and Yuvraj Singh. He's a finisher in ODI and T20 cricket. That's Mahi's exclusive (the Helicopter shot). He has specialised that. It's amazing the way he clears the ball with his full strength. He has practised a lot."

Ranchi happens to be the hometown of captain Dhoni and asked if there were any special plans by the team, Raina said, "We may have dinner tomorrow at Mahi bhai's residence. There is nothing special apart from that."

While maintaining that Mitchel Johnson is bowling exceedingly well in recent times, Raina stressed that it is very important for the middle-order to do well against him. "No doubt, he is bowling well. But our planning is equally good against him. We have to do well especially in the middle order. Myself, Yuvi bhai and Jadeja would have to do well," he said.

Raina is focused not only to do well in the remaining 4 ODIs, but is also eyeing a comeback into the Test squad. "Personally for me the next four ODIs are very important as I've to make a comeback into the Test squad. Tendulkar's 200th will be a dream Test for me whether I play or not. He is the world's No. 1 batsman and more importantly a good human being. It will be a sad moment for all of us. It's a very important moment for his family. I hope he scores centuries in both of his last two Tests," he concluded.

Meanwhile, Australian opener, Phillip Hughes, had a completely different take on the new ODI rules and was in support of them. "What's going ahead has been fantastic. If you look around at the different countries it works in different ways. You come here and the wickets are quite good for batting but if you go to England or Australia you could have a pitch that offers more for bowlers," Hughes said.

"You'll see games that are 30/3 up front. It's different conditions. I think it's a great thing about touring around the world. You see different scores and there've been a lot of big scores in this series to date," Hughes told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

James Faulkner took Ishant Sharma to the cleaners in the 48th over in Mohali to snatch a win from India. However, Hughes said that the Indian fast bowler was still well respected by the opposition batsmen. "If you look at the last game, it was a great batting performance from everyone. Ishant has been a quality bowler around the world for a number of years. You always respect that," he added.

Hughes added that the team had put behind the 4-0 thrashing in the Test series against India earlier in the year. "The Test series wasn't as successful as we'd liked. This is a different format. I suppose the wickets are different and it's a white ball. But there are a couple of things I've picked out of the Test series which I took home and worked on," he said.

The incident happened in the 29th over and Jadeja was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to 'using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match'.

Rohit Sharma hammered only the third double century in ODIs as India defeated Australia by 57 runs in the seventh and final ODI to win a bilateral series over the visitors for the first time since 1986.

India will yet again rely on their batting firepower as they seek to clinch the one-day series against an equally-determined Australia when the two teams clash in the seventh and final match on Saturday in what promises to be another high-scoring thriller.